The good, the bad, the ugly against Flames
It was a good night on Monday night to be a Washington Capitals fan. Matthew Phillips scored his first NHL goal. Spencer Carbery got his first NHL win. Evgeny Kuznetsov dazzled us in the shootout. And Darcy Kuemper made his newborn son proud.
Don’t let a sellout streak ending fool you. The Caps showed up and the just over 16K that were there got to see a good contest.
If you want to see the recap click here. If you want to see how I graded the offense click here. There’s a link to the top 3 studs on slide three.
We’ve got one more breakdown before we shift our focus to tomorrow’s game in Ottawa. Presenting the good, the bad and the ugly.
We start with the bad:
The Bad: Alex Ovechkin taking too long to shoot the puck
Wow I can’t believe I’m doing this again. Everyone that knows me personally and has read my work over the years knows how much I love Alex Ovechkin. I still do.
At the end of overtime he kind of took too long to shoot the puck. Too much stick work when everyone in the whole arena was yelling SHOOT! Just rip that thing in so we don’t have to go through another shootout next time.
The Ugly: The first period
The ugliest part of the game was the first 20 minutes. The old saying goes it’s not how you start it’s how you finish and that certainly applies to the Capitals in last nights game.
But we need to talk about the start to the game. Because it was BAD. How bad? Not only did the Caps dig themselves in a 2-0 hole but they were outshot in the first period 18-3.
The first Flames goal came at five on five from Adam Ruzicka at 4:47. It was a snapshot. The second one came on the power play at 17:12 which was a tip in from Dillon Dube.
It was not a good start that the Capitals wanted. How they can improve next game? They need to play a full 60 minutes. Not 10 minutes like they did on opening night. Not 40 minutes like they did last night. But a full 60.
It took until the third period for Alex Ovechkin to somewhat get a shot.But it didn’t count as a shot because his shot missed the net so he still had zero. Overall the veterans just need to shoot the puck more.
But we still have the good to talk about and the youth played a big part in that good.
The Good: The second period
The best part of last night’s game was the second period because two kids that deserved to have a chance to have a full time role in an NHL lineup got on the board.
The first goal for the Capitals in the 2023-24 season went to Matthew Phillips and the finish by the 25 year old was just as beautiful as the setup from Sonny Milano. That came at 6:50 and it completely turned the tide of the game.
The second one came at 9:54 on a shot right up the middle from Connor McMichael. Phillips had the primary assist on McMichael’s goal. The 2019 first round pick spent more time with the Hershey Bears last season than he would’ve liked. But after winning a Calder Cup with the Bears, he’s ready to win at the NHL level.
The second period was the Washington Capitals hockey we’ve known and loved over the years. It was a good sight to see. Lots of people clamored for the team to get younger and faster. While our squad is still a retirement home there’s still eight players on the team 25 years of age or younger.
Hot. Top 3 Capitals studs against Flames. light
The last time that happened? Well my friends, that was the year the Capitals experience complete greatness in the form of a Stanley Cup. Still early, but a good sign nonetheless.